Fast and Furious: Aerospace Firms Reduce Hypersonic Design to Months, Not Years
Aerospace firms Specter Aerospace and nTop announced a new workflow that reduces hypersonic aircraft design from months to days while maintaining high fidelity. Their implicit geometry modeling eliminates traditional CAD bottlenecks, enabling rapid conceptual modeling, automated analysis, and design‑space optimization. The approach promises to deliver a flight‑ready hypersonic vehicle within a year for defense programs like the Navy’s Mach XL, and could also accelerate commercial high‑speed applications. By linking design directly to additive manufacturing, the companies aim to close the design‑build‑test loop dramatically.
Artemis II Crew Nears Moon as Spacecraft Enters Lunar Orbit Phase
NASA launched the Artemis II mission on April 1, 2026, sending a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft with four astronauts from Kennedy Space Center. Early Monday, the crew entered the lunar sphere of influence, where the Moon’s gravity overtakes Earth’s,...
NAVAIR Seeks Industry Input on CV-22 Osprey JTT-NG Integration
The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has issued a sources‑sought notice to find industry partners capable of integrating the Joint Tactical Terminal – Next Generation (JTT‑NG) onto the CV‑22 Osprey. The effort is driven by the V‑22 Joint Program Office...
Nominations Open for Member Advancement
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has opened nominations for its Member Advancement program, inviting members to recognize peers who have delivered outstanding contributions to the aerospace sector. Eligibility hinges on demonstrated leadership, technical excellence, and measurable industry...
Embraer Reports 47% Jump in First-Quarter Aircraft Deliveries
Embraer announced that it handed over 44 aircraft in the first quarter of 2026, marking a 47% year‑on‑year increase. The growth spanned its commercial, executive and defense divisions, reflecting broader market recovery. The company disclosed the figures in a securities...
SpaceX Secures SDA-4 Launch Task Order From U.S. Space Force
SpaceX has secured a task order worth more than $178 million from the U.S. Space Force Systems Command to conduct two National Security Space Launch Phase 3, Lane 1 missions in fiscal 2027. The launches will occur from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station...
AIAA Anticipates Artemis II Launch with Collection of Technical Papers
AIAA announced a complimentary collection of technical papers tied to NASA’s Artemis II mission, drawing from the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets and AIAA SciTech Forum papers published between 2024 and 2026. The papers are hosted on AIAA’s Aerospace Research Central...
April-June 2026 Issue of Aerospace America Now Live
The April‑June 2026 issue of Aerospace America is now live, featuring the cover story “The New Space Race” by Leonard David and associate editor Cat Hofacker. The article examines the United States’ renewed push to land astronauts on the Moon, a goal...
NASA Advances X-59 Testing After Resolving Cockpit Alert Issue
NASA’s X‑59 low‑boom supersonic demonstrator experienced a false‑positive cockpit warning on March 20, forcing the aircraft to return to Edwards AFB after just nine minutes of a planned hour‑long flight. Engineers identified the warning as a sensor glitch and cleared the...
ASCEND 2026 Assembles Space Industry’s Most Influential Voices in Washington, D.C.
AIAA’s ASCEND 2026 will convene May 19‑21 at the Washington Hilton, drawing roughly 2,000 space professionals to the nation’s capital. The three‑day event features more than 200 speakers from NASA, the FAA, Lockheed Martin, Blue Origin, academia and government, highlighting...
2026 AIAA Von Kármán Lecture in Astronautics on Learning and Controlling Autonomous Space Systems to Be Presented by Maruthi Akella...
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has selected UT Austin professor Maruthi Akella to deliver the 2026 von Kármán Lecture in Astronautics. His talk, “Opinion Dynamics, Learning, Trust, and Control of Autonomous Space Systems,” will be held on May 20 during...
2026 AIAA David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Presented by Blue Origin’s Tory Bruno During ASCEND 2026
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has awarded the 2026 David W. Thompson Lectureship in Space Commerce to Tory Bruno, former ULA CEO and now President of Blue Origin’s Blue National Security unit. Bruno will present his talk, “Transforming ULA: Shaping...
Space Force Considers Boosting Wallops Launch Cadence to Meet Commercial Demand
Space Force is evaluating a significant increase in launch cadence at NASA’s Wallops Island range to satisfy rising commercial demand, Gen. Stephen Whiting told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Wallops, long used for niche missions such as small‑satellite and hypersonic...
U.S. Navy Finalizes Requirements for T-45 Replacement Trainer
The U.S. Navy issued its final request for proposals on March 26 for a next‑generation Undergraduate Jet Training System to replace the aging T‑45 Goshawk fleet. The service set an aggressive acquisition timeline and a firm cost target while dropping the...
Reimagining America’s R&D Framework: Valuing Our Laboratories and Testing Facilities as National Treasures
The AIAA calls on Congress to treat U.S. aerospace and defense laboratories, wind tunnels, and test ranges as national treasures, urging sustained capital investment and lifecycle stewardship. A GAO report shows the federal real‑property maintenance backlog ballooned from $171 billion in...
Nominations Open for Member Advancement
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has opened its annual call for nominations for member advancement, inviting the aerospace community to recognize peers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and contributions. Eligible candidates include those who have significantly impacted...
NASA’s Juno Delivers New Science While Its Future Remains Uncertain
NASA’s Juno spacecraft, originally slated for a five‑year Jupiter science campaign, received a two‑year extension that allowed it to record unprecedented lightning data in 2021‑2022. Researchers analyzing the data found Jovian storms produce lightning flashes at least 100 times more...
AIAA Celebrates the eIPP Awards and AAM Progress
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) marked the March 9, 2026 announcement of the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) awardees, highlighting a milestone in advanced air mobility (AAM) integration. Over the past decade, AAM has evolved from early concepts like...
Predicting Hypersonic Boundary-Layer Transition on Complex Geometries Virtual Collection Published
An international virtual collection of experimental and numerical studies on hypersonic laminar‑turbulent transition has been published. The compilation aggregates data from multiple research groups focusing on complex vehicle geometries. It provides a shared database to benchmark and improve predictive models...
Northrop’s Talon IQ Flies First Mission With Shield AI’s Hivemind Autonomy
Northrop Grumman’s Talon IQ modular testbed successfully completed its first flight using Shield AI’s Hivemind as the digital brain. The autonomous mission, conducted in Mojave, saw the aircraft execute a combat air patrol and engage simulated targets without human input....
Advancing the Field: Luminary Cloud Announced New Physics AI Models at AIAA SciTech Forum
Luminary Cloud unveiled three new physics‑AI defense models—SHIFT‑CCA, SHIFT‑Submarine and SHIFT‑Pump—at the AIAA SciTech Forum 2026. The models promise sub‑second inference, cutting traditional simulation times from hours to fractions of a second. Built on the company’s GPU‑native Physics AI Factory,...
NASA Seeks SmallSat Mission Concepts Using Adaptive Sensing and Edge AI
NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office announced the Space to Soil Challenge, inviting proposals for SmallSat missions that leverage adaptive sensing and edge AI. The initiative aims to advance onboard processing capabilities that can deliver rapid, high‑resolution data for land‑resilience applications...
Artemis Moon Missions Take Center Stage at Wichita Engineers Week Banquet
Alicia Dwyer Cianciolo, a veteran NASA systems engineer, outlined the Artemis program’s Human Landing Systems (HLS) at the Wichita Engineers Week banquet. She explained that Artemis III will now be uncrewed, while Artemis IV remains on track for a crewed lunar south‑pole landing...
Wisk Aero Unveils Second Gen 6 Autonomous eVTOL Prototype
Wisk Aero, a Boeing subsidiary, has unveiled its second sixth‑generation autonomous eVTOL prototype, registered as N607WA. The full‑scale aircraft is slated for its inaugural flight within weeks, marking a critical milestone toward certification. Wisk maintains its roadmap to launch a...
MQ-20 Avenger Demonstrates Advanced Autonomy in U.S. Air Force Exercise
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and the U.S. Air Force completed a landmark autonomy flight test using the MQ‑20 Avenger. The exercise demonstrated that the unmanned jet can coordinate complex combat maneuvers without human input, showcasing the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)...
Joby Aviation Demonstrates Electric Air Taxi Flights Over San Francisco Bay
Joby Aviation completed a series of electric air‑taxi demonstration flights over the San Francisco Bay Area, departing from Oakland International Airport and cruising past the Golden Gate Bridge toward the Marin Headlands. The flights showcased the company’s N545JX prototype operating in...
AIAA Celebrates 100 Years of Rocketry on Anniversary of First Rocket Launch
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) unveiled a free, curated collection of 100 technical papers on rocket propulsion to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Robert H. Goddard’s first liquid‑fuel rocket test in 1926. The anthology pulls from AIAA’s...
Podcast: Axiom CEO Discusses the Next Wave of Commercial Activity in LEO
In a Space News Space Minds podcast, Axiom Space CEO Jonathan Cirtain outlines the next wave of commercial activity in low‑Earth orbit (LEO). He highlights Axiom’s roadmap to launch the first fully commercial space station by 2028 and the expanding...
Nominations Open for Member Advancement
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has opened nominations for its Member Advancement program, inviting members to recognize peers who have made outstanding contributions to the aerospace sector. Eligible candidates must satisfy detailed criteria outlined on the AIAA...
Dassault Unveils Falcon 10X as First Flight Nears
Dassault Aviation has unveiled its new Falcon 10X business jet, positioning it as the company’s most ambitious entry into the ultra‑long‑range market. The clean‑sheet aircraft is slated for its first flight within weeks, marking the start of an intensive flight‑test campaign....
AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 Event Recap Published
The AIAA released its 2026 SciTech Forum recap, detailing attendance, program content, and engagement metrics. The report notes more than 7,000 participants representing over 50 nations and a technical program of 150 sessions spanning next‑generation aerospace topics. Digital interactions generated...
Call for Technical Experts for Standards
AIAA has become the Committee Manager and US Technical Advisory Group for ISO TC20/SC16, which governs standards for uncrewed aircraft systems. The committee is actively recruiting technical experts to shape International Standards for civilian Counter‑UAS equipment and is exploring a new...
The R&D Decisions that Will Shape the Success of Golden Dome
Golden Dome for America is moving from a broad conceptual study to an execution phase where early research and development decisions will determine its affordability and schedule. The analysis warns that postponing prototype validation, test‑bed integration, and production‑readiness criteria can...
AIAA Announces 2026 Priority Issues to Advance U.S. Aerospace Leadership
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) unveiled its 2026 Priority Issues, a roadmap spanning aviation, national security, research and development, and space. The agenda stresses modernizing air traffic control via NextGen, advancing autonomous flight, bolstering the defense industrial...
X-59 Low-Boom Aircraft Enters New Phase of Supersonic Flight Testing
NASA’s Lockheed Martin‑built X‑59 Quiet Supersonic Transport has entered the envelope‑expansion phase of its flight test program. The aircraft will now conduct a series of supersonic runs to map its performance envelope and verify the low‑boom signature. NASA aims to demonstrate...
Hermeus Achieves First Flight of Mk. 2.1 Supersonic Aircraft
Hermeus successfully completed the first flight of its Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 supersonic demonstrator on March 2 at Spaceport America, New Mexico. The remotely piloted aircraft is powered by a Pratt & Whitney F100‑229 engine, marking a step up from the earlier Mk 1 flight at...
Next-Gen Supersonic Platform Targets Evolving Missile and Drone Threats
SNC and Specter Aerospace announced a next‑generation supersonic aerial platform aimed at countering hypersonic missile attacks and dense drone swarms. The system promises significantly longer range than existing counter‑missile solutions, extending operational reach for joint forces. By operating at supersonic...
AIAA Announces 2026 Key Issues to Advance U.S. Aerospace Leadership
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics released its 2026 Key Issues, outlining priority actions to preserve U.S. aerospace leadership across aviation, defense, research, and space. It calls for sustained NextGen funding to modernize the National Airspace System, clearer pathways...
Lockheed Martin to Test Digital Atomic Clock on Upcoming GPS III Satellite
Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Space Force will test a new digital atomic clock aboard the tenth GPS III satellite, slated for launch in early 2026. The digital clock is intended to replace legacy rubidium timepieces, offering higher precision while consuming...
General Atomics Names YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft ‘Dark Merlin’
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems announced that its YFQ-42A collaborative combat aircraft will be called Dark Merlin. The unmanned system is one of two prototypes selected for the U.S. Air Force’s first increment of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, the other...
Canada Certifies Airbus H175, Opening Door to Public Service Missions
Airbus has secured Transport Canada certification for its H175 super‑medium helicopter, clearing the path for commercial and public‑service use in Canada. The company says a broad spectrum of potential customers are showing interest, though no operator has been confirmed and...
AIAA Identifies Top Technologies Transforming Aerospace
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) released a new report identifying ten technologies that will reshape aerospace by 2045, based on a survey of over 700 experts and interviews with senior leaders. The list includes AI‑aided design, alternative...
Forget Cloud: Istari Unveils “Ground,” A New Data Sharing Infrastructure Tailored for Aerospace
Istari Digital unveiled "Ground," a new data‑sharing protocol that lets aerospace and defense firms keep information behind their own firewalls while still enabling global collaboration. The platform replaces the traditional cloud model with a shareable, auditable connection layer that embeds...
Soft Power and the Race to the Moon: Why Cislunar Norms Are the Next Hill to Hold
The United States is positioning cislunar space as the next geopolitical arena, leveraging NASA’s Artemis program and the Artemis Accords to set soft‑power norms. Cislunar real estate near the lunar south pole is scarce, and early standards for communications, navigation,...
How a Tiny Plasma Device Could Reduce Drag and Make Future Aircraft Faster and Cleaner
University of Notre Dame researchers demonstrated that a thin plasma‑actuator strip can slash skin‑friction drag on aircraft surfaces. Laboratory tests showed up to an 80% reduction in turbulent drag on flat plates and a 44% cut on a half‑meter airfoil,...
Slow Launch Tempo Clouds Long-Term Role of Space Launch System
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) has now been in development for 15 years, accumulating more than $30 billion in taxpayer spending. The program’s launch cadence remains painfully slow, with fewer than one flight per year, undermining its intended role in deep‑space...
